AoIR Ethics: Ethics & Literacies for AI Usage in the Research Process Michael Zimmer(1), Ylva Hård af Segerstad(2), Kelly Quinn(3), Heidi A. McKee(4) 1: Marquette University, USA; 2: University of Gothenburg, Sweden; 3: University of Illinois at Chicago, USA; 4: Miami University, USA
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a pervasive phrase today, often used to describe a wide range of technologies, including large language models/deep learning image processing, augmented reality, and systems that can generate text, imagery, audio and synthetic data. Ubiquitous and yet novel, AI is rapidly advancing academic research, influencing not only its outcomes but also its praxis. What are the current uses of AI in internet research? What is the impact of AI on internet research practices? What are the ethical implications of such use and how should we, as members of a research community, attend to these? The focus of this workshop is to address these questions by providing an opportunity to examine and discuss the use of AI in research and its impact on research practices and ethics. This is a stand-alone workshop but its outcomes will partner well with the proposed afternoon workshop “AoIR Ethics: Where Do We Go from Here?” AI-powered tools are intended to advance all stages of the academic research process, from aggregating and summarizing extant literature, to generating and collecting data, to the writing and visualization of results. Institutional guidance on using AI in each of these stages is slowly emerging, often in support of the use of such tools in a ‘responsible and ethical manner,’ but lacking detail on the research-specific considerations that should be made. In a similar vein, publishers have issued directives requiring acknowledgement of the use of AI in research reporting, but frequently do not opine on the ethical use of such tools. To address this lacuna, this workshop will focus on the ethics and literacies involved in the use of AI-powered tools in the research process. This half-day workshop will be organized in three modules, and begin with opening remarks from Dr. Casey Fiesler (tentatively accepted invitation; https://caseyfiesler.com/about/), who will lay the groundwork for the session by describing current uses of AI in research and the associated ethical implications. The second module will proceed with small group work in which participants will address cases and provocations solicited in advance from members of the AoIR Ethics Working Committee and broader AoIR community, covering such topics as the use of generative tools for writing and data visualization, developing AI models to detect patterns and features in data, the use of AI-generated synthetic data, the implications of AI tools for data privacy and property rights, and the use of virtual and augmented reality in experimental settings. Finally, the third module will offer guidance and strategies for enhancing AI literacy among researchers at all levels to aid in their understanding of the practical and ethical implications associated with the adoption and use of emerging AI technologies. Throughout the session, participants will be empowered to share their experiences with AI, along with any attendant questions and controversies they have encountered. The workshop facilitators bring a range of experience with internet research and applying AI tools in research and classroom settings, designing programs for AI literacy, and addressing the ethical dimensions of new research tools and methodologies. Participants: The AoIR Ethics Working Committee will work to recruit participants from the entire AoIR community. Format: half-day workshop (morning)
